


Hairballs (beauty lies in the eye of the beholder)

by blue_deer (Killerguppy)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Cat/Human Hybrids, Comedy, Fantasy, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Hybrids, M/M, Romance, Supernatural Elements, catboy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-21 18:00:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17647262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Killerguppy/pseuds/blue_deer
Summary: Jisoo thinks he has just the right present to brighten Seungcheol's horrible day: it's small and cute and (sometimes) listens to the name Woozi.It also comes with pretty sharp claws.





	1. Come to me

**Author's Note:**

> Featuring:
> 
>  
> 
>   
> Choi Seungcheol as forever-alone bachelor with a serious addiction to everything cute and fuzzy.
> 
>   
> Lee Jihoon as small and moody cat-hybrid Woozi.
> 
>   
> Hong Jisoo as best friend and helpful veterinarian. (Also: the root of all problems.)
> 
>   
> Yoon Jeonghan as nosy co-worker and Jisoo's partner(-in-crime).
> 
> -
> 
> Genre: Romance, Fluff, Comedy, Supernatural
> 
> Length: Shortfic (3 to 5 chapters)
> 
> Pairings: JiCheol, JiHan (minor)
> 
> Warnings: Lots and lots of stupidity

 

If Choi Seungcheol had to describe himself, he would use the word 'average'. Average height, average built, average looks (well, maybe a little bit above average, but he was a humble person), average job.

Being an accountant wasn't the most interesting job in the world but he liked his colleagues and it was enough to afford a small flat and pay his bills, and really, what else was there to want? Nothing, clearly.

Or, well, maybe a relationship.

His friends had tried multiple times to set him up on blind dates and all sorts of other gatherings but, somehow, Seungcheol had the tendency to lose the ability to form coherent sentences as soon as a woman came near him which didn't exactly help his case. And after the last date had resulted in miserable failure (his friends still joked about it), he had decided that he would just wait it out since, obviously, dating wasn't for him.

Apart from his abysmal luck with women, Seungcheol had another character trait that stood out. Although he didn't exactly look like it with his mop of dark hair and somewhat brooding eyes, he was a sucker for everything cute and fuzzy. He was the type of person who squealed at the sight of squirrels, crossed the street to pet stray cats and baby-talked random dogs while ignoring their owners. Therefore it was all the more surprising that he didn't own a pet himself.

"I don't think I'm ready for this kind of responsibility," he explained whenever he got asked, dark eyebrows furrowed sombrely, and his friends could only shake their heads at his weirdness.

 

This week had not started well. Seungcheol had been chosen (not entirely out of free will, mind you) to hold a presentation under the judging eyes of the chairman of another company and the deep wrinkles creasing his boss' forehead had made it crystal clear that it was important to impress. No pressure, alright.

That in itself wouldn't have been all that much of a problem if the date of the presentation had not been set to Wednesday, 10am - which was in exactly 44 hours. The thought alone made Seungcheol break out in cold sweat even before he threw himself into the preparations.

 

Like every other person, Seungcheol sometimes had nightmares. A recurring one featured him and a particularly embarrassing piece of underwear in front of his team after he had forgotten to wear pants to work.

Unfortunately, this was pretty much exactly how he felt while holding the dreaded presentation, high on caffeine and tired out of his mind after two days of almost no sleep. The lines on his boss' face deepened with every passing minute and Seungcheol wished with his whole being for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

 

Seungcheol's face was still pressed into the soft cushion of his couch when the doorbell rang. He groaned at the disturbance. Stupid bell. Stupid person who was ringing the bell. Couldn't he at least suffer in peace?

The option to simply play dead was tempting but after the fifth time he groaned again and slowly sat up. The pillow he had used earlier to hide from the last rays of afternoon sun flopped onto the floor, but he was too lazy to pick it up and stepped over it to get to the small hallway of his flat. He made sure that the frown that darkened his face was threatening enough to scare off any potential salesmen/Jehovah's witnesses/annoying neighbours and opened the door with as little motivation as he could possibly muster.

The frown remained on his face even after he had recognized his best friend, although it softened slightly. Nobody could stay angry with Jisoo around.

"I don't want to play today." They had their regular Mario Kart tournaments on Wednesdays and, to be honest, he had forgotten about it completely.

"Thought so, Jeonghan called me earlier."

Seungcheol's frown deepened once again. That nosy tattletale.

Jisoo kept smiling nonetheless. "But I brought something to cheer you up."

Seungcheol eyed his empty hands and wondered whether his friend was pulling a prank on him when the other bent down and pulled an old sports bag into sight. It was moving slightly and a bad feeling began to spread in the pit of Seungcheol's stomach.

"Jisoo, what...?" he began but his voice died as soon as a small head poked through the open zipper, round amber eyes curiously looking around.  
It took everything in Seungcheol not to squeal.

"She's so cute," he whispered instead, gaze locked onto the white cat that warily sniffed the air and, after a moment of hesitation, tried to climb out of the bag. Jisoo hastily picked it up to prevent its escape.

"It's a he, actually. He looks young since he's so tiny but I think he's probably around two already. His name is Woozi."

 

They were seated on Seungcheol's couch with Woozi exploring the flat while Jisoo explained how the little cat had gotten brought into his vet office after someone had found him sitting in the rain. He wasn't chipped nor had he been wearing a collar and they had decided to call the shelter when Jisoo had the glorious idea to ask Seungcheol if he would take him in.

Seungcheol was still hesitant about the whole idea though. Sure, he loved animals regardless which species, but he couldn't even prevent his cacti from dying on a regular basis and he had to work during the day. What if Woozi wasn't house trained? Nobody knew if he was a stray cat or had belonged to someone before although Jisoo pointed out that he at least wasn't feral. Wasn't it necessary to spend time with a new pet so they could bond?

It was almost possible to see the cogs turning in Seungcheol's head but just when he came to the conclusion that Woozi would probably die in his care, Jisoo interrupted him.

"Just try it," he insisted, "if it's too much of a burden you can still give him to a shelter. Also you can always drop by for free examinations, isn't that a good deal?"

Seungcheol's fondness for cute things didn't only include animals and he had always been rather weak when it came to resisting Jisoo's puppy eyes (a fact the other had shamelessly exploited throughout high school and when it came to getting the phone number of a certain long haired accountant). With a low sigh and after a long look at the little bundle of fur that had curled up on his fallen pillow, Seungcheol reluctantly agreed.

 

Jisoo had went his own way and had left behind copious amounts of cat food, a few toys, a mat to sleep on, a bag of litter, a small cat and an almost panicking human.

Seungcheol was fighting the overwhelming feeling that nothing in his life had prepared him for the sudden responsibility of owning a pet and his sleep deprivation wasn't exactly helping him to keep calm. Woozi was staring him down with judging eyes from the other end of the couch and Seungcheol wanted nothing more than to hide in his bedroom. He rubbed his eyes with a sigh. "What do we do now, hm? I don't know how to take care of a cat."

Woozi remained silent in his spot. With slight hesitation, Seungcheol reached out for him, hoping to be able to feel the soft fur but when the cat's ears lowered dangerously, he quickly pulled back. It only took a few seconds for Woozi to vanish under the couch.

"Okay, okay, I'm not touching you, you don't have to hide!" Predictably, nothing changed at his words, and Seungcheol got up with a quiet groan, his body aching from the strain of the last few days. "Are you hungry, kitty? Come on, lets make some dinner."

He could feel amber eyes following him when he left for the kitchen.

 

Woozi didn't seem very fond of the cat food he was offered and Seungcheol was unsure how to make the mushy lumps any more appealing.

"Aren't you hungry, little one? Look, its beef, yum yum," he cooed and pushed the bowl a bit closer to the small cat who regarded him with a long (disgusted) look. "You need to eat, you're such a skinny little fella. Come on, don't make me beg. Please?"

Woozi got up and left towards the living room with an a swish of his tail and Seungcheol buried his face in his hands.

 

He had just started eating his rice, distractedly scrolling through websites dedicated to cat owners, when a quiet sound next to his feet made him look up. Round amber eyes stared at him - or, more precisely, at his chopsticks.

"Oh Woozi, you can't eat that; it's only for humans. Look, yours is over there." Seungcheol pointed at the still untouched bowl of cat food in the corner and was once again completely ignored. "Really, I don't think that's healthy for you..." It only took another sad _mew_ from Woozi to make his resolve crumble into dust.

 

This time Woozi finished his small portion of rice and vegetables without complaint, even licking up the sauce Seungcheol had tried to scrape off to the best of his ability. Afterwards he was watching Seungcheol with intense eyes while he stored his leftover spicy pork stir-fry in the fridge. "Tomorrow you'll have to eat your own food, Woozi; its better for you. I'm sure you'll like tuna. Every cat likes tuna, right?"

 

Seungcheol had placed the small mat Jisoo had given him for Woozi to sleep on in the corner of the living room, together with his toys. He had also prepared a makeshift litter box in the bathroom by using newspapers and a mountain of litter, hoping and praying that the small cat was intelligent enough to understand the implication. He still didn't dare to touch Woozi, therefore the original plan of picking him up and placing him on the litter had gone up in smoke.

The cat had vanished beneath the couch once again after dinner and although Seungcheol really wanted to play a bit with his new flatmate, fatigue overwhelmed him and he fell asleep almost instantly after washing up.

 

It was around 4am when Seungcheol got woken up by frantic scratching at his bedroom door. At first his sleep-muddled brain couldn't make out the source of the sound and all kinds of horror scenarios went through his head until he remembered that he was now a cat owner.

With a groan, he turned on the light on his night stand and slowly got up, staggering towards the door and opening it reluctantly. He didn't even have time to fully process the situation as Woozi dashed through the gap and hid under his bed.

"Woozi? What is it? Come on, you have your own bed; you can't be in here. I don't want fur all over my work clothes. Hey!" Crawling on all fours, Seungcheol tried to shoo the little cat out of his room but he couldn't reach him in his hiding spot and after several futile attempts, he tiredly gave up.

"Whatever, do what you want," he grumbled and climbed back under his blanket after moving Woozi's mat from the living room into his bedroom.

 

Seungcheol woke up with a start shortly before his alarm was supposed to go off and this time it was due to strange sounds close by.

He sat up quick enough to get dizzy and, as soon as the world had stopped spinning, he carefully peered over the edge of his bed. Woozi sat in front of it, amber eyes directed at him and ears lowered in visible distress.

"What's the matter, kittycat? Are you okay?" Slowly, Seungcheol climbed out of bed and kneeled next to the small bundle of fur. Woozi mewled pitifully, a sound that immediately pulled Seungcheol's heartstrings, and then he puked on the carpet.

 

"Don't worry, it's completely normal for cats to throw up once in a while. It happens when they groom themselves a lot and hair accumulates in their stomach." Jisoo's soothing voice helped to calm Seungcheol's erratic heartbeat slightly, but he still anxiously stared at Woozi who was examining a small paper ball in the corner. "If it happens again today or tomorrow, I'll take a look at him. Did he eat the cat food I gave you?"

"No, he completely refused to eat it. I gave him some of my dinner yesterday and he ate that but he didn't eat any of his own food."

"Hm, we had the same problem while he was here. Just keep trying some more. It's okay to give him regular food as long as it's not strongly seasoned, also most cats prefer raw meat over cooked. There's plenty of recipes online; I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Seungcheol sighed at the prospect of cooking food for a cat but his heart softened immediately when Woozi suddenly attacked the ball and rolled over the floor trying to bite into it.

 

Armed with cleaning supplies, Seungcheol made his way towards his bed, eyeing the drying puddle on the carpet in disdain. Its oddly red colour had contributed to his earlier freak-out (and therefore to his panicked wake-up call to Jisoo which a very disgruntled Jeonghan had answered) but seeing it now, in the light of the early morning, it wasn't blood like he had assumed at first. He couldn't quite figure out what exactly it was that his cat had eaten and instead of thinking about it any further, he began to clean the mess.

 

It was already half past seven when Seungcheol had finished and seeing that work started in half an hour, he decided that it was a good day to stay home and take care of his new cat (it had nothing to do with making a fool out of himself yesterday, of course).

After leaving a voicemail in which he tried to sound reasonably sick, he trudged into the kitchen and opened his fridge to make breakfast. It took him a moment to notice the torn up plastic wrap on what had formerly been a full plate of spicy fried pork.

Flabbergasted he stared for a long moment before his eyes wandered to the small cat that was watching him hungrily from the kitchen entrance. "How did you even _get_ in there?! No wonder you puked after eating that!"

 

Grudgingly Seungcheol had made his way to the closest supermarket to buy food and cat supplies.

He hadn't even wanted a pet in the first place and now he had a puking, thieving, sleep-disrupting little nuisance at home who also demanded to get home cooked meals (Woozi had stared at him with reproachful eyes when he had placed tuna cat food in front of him earlier).

"You're lucky, you're cute," he grumbled, while deciding which pork chops to buy and ignored the wary look of the elderly lady next to him.

It gave him quite a bit of mischievous pleasure to buy a child safety lock for the fridge.

 

While Woozi certainly had quite a few negative characteristics, he was neither dumb nor loud. He had figured out in record time where his toilet was and how to use it and Seungcheol had to search for him several times during the afternoon because he thought that the small cat was being suspiciously quiet - only to find him either asleep under the bed or hiding in his closet (Seungcheol decided to buy a lock for it as well, so far Woozi had shown no interest in his clothes but better safe than sorry).

 

Jisoo called while Seungcheol was busy trying to lure out his cat from under his bed with a toy, to hear all about his first day as a pet owner (of course Jeonghan had informed his boyfriend that he hadn't been at work, who would've thought?). He set down the toy and heavily leaned against his bed frame, phone pressed to his ear.

A wave of dejection hit him when he admitted his shortcomings to his best friend; he wanted to be a good and responsible owner, he just didn't know how. "I don't think that was a good idea, Soo," he said, sadness lacing his voice. "I think I'm doing everything wrong and Woozi probably hates it here. He keeps hiding and only comes out to eat. Also it's my fault that he puked, he somehow ate my dinner and got sick afterwards, I'm a horrible owner..." he trailed off with a quiet sob, fatigue getting the best of him.

"You're doing-"

"Also work is horrible right now; I'm sure Jeonghan told you everything already. I just want to hide in my bed and never get up again, I can't take care of someone else like this."

"Of course you're-"

"I think I should just resign; the whole office is probably making fun of me right now. I'll move somewhere else - Daegu, or maybe Busan, the sea is supposed to be real nice in summer - and then-"

"Seungcheol!" Jumping because of the loud voice in his ear, Seungcheol stopped rambling. "Take a deep breath and listen to me. Of course Woozi is hiding, imagine being thrown in an unfamiliar place with people you don't know; what would you do? We don't know what he went through before he got brought in; many strays get abused and are wary of strangers because of that. It has nothing to do with you not being responsible enough or being a bad person. And for the thing with the dinner, well, it's something he has to learn, right? You didn't force him to eat it and you stored it away from him, so it's not your fault. And don't worry so much about work; Jeonghan gave your boss quite a bit of shit for forcing you into that project with only two days to prepare and the rest of the office is supporting you too. Everyone knows that you work hard."

It took a while for Seungcheol to be able to answer, and when he did his voice sounded quite a bit squeakier than he cared to admit.

 

After he had hung up the phone, he remained seated on the floor, going over the conversation again. He wasn't sure what he had done in his past life to deserve a person as great as Jisoo but he was incredibly glad to have him as best friend. Jeonghan was one lucky man, he decided, and if the accountant ever dared to mess up, he would personally kick his ass.

The slight grin on his lips froze in surprise when something warm and soft touched his hand. He held his breath when he turned his head in a deliberately slow motion and, really, he hadn't imagined it.

Still half hidden under his bed sat Woozi, one tiny paw extended towards a loose thread of his sleeve, showing no sign of the uneasiness he usually displayed when Seungcheol came too close. Amber met chocolate brown and Seungcheol struggled with the decision whether to stay as still as possible or to try and get Woozi to come even closer.

Greed won and, as slow as humanly possible, he lifted his hand and held his fingers in front of the cat. With bated breath, he waited for an reaction and finally it came in the form of a quiet purr and a small lick.

Seungcheol was sure that his heart would explode at any moment.

 

This night Seungcheol slept without any disturbances. But if he had woken up, he would have found a small body curled into his side, amber eyes shimmering in the moonlight.

 


	2. Getting Closer

"Friday, freaking finally," Seungcheol mumbled while he rummaged through his fridge, hunting for any potential breakfast. Behind a half-empty bottle of water and some cans of beer, he discovered an already opened pack of sausages, he had no memories of buying. Carefully he picked it up and took a whiff to check whether they were still edible. Deciding that they smelled normal enough, he also grabbed two eggs and turned around, almost tripping over Woozi in the process. With a panicked little half-jump, he caught the egg that had slipped out of his hand and simultaneously prevented himself from flattening his cat.

"Oh my god! Don't sneak up on me like that!" The cat seemed unimpressed by his scolding, amber eyes locked onto the meat in his hand. "You're not getting those; you have your own food, Woozi."

Seungcheol carefully stepped around his pet and placed everything on the counter. Deciding that coffee would be a good idea to start the day, he turned on the coffee machine and the radio before he once again opened the fridge to get some milk - only to find the carton almost empty. "Huh? Wasn't it full yesterday? The stress is really getting to me."

With a shrug, he poured what was left in his cup before he began to fry his breakfast. It didn't take long for him to start singing.

 

Seungcheol brought his plate and the pot of coffee to the table and sat down, reaching for his mug. He raised a sceptical eyebrow at the amount of milk in it. He could have sworn it was more when he poured it.

A quiet _mew_ interrupted his thoughts and he was met with Woozi's penetrating stare. "Your food is over there; you know that already," Seungcheol said tiredly and waved his fork in the direction of the bowl. The cat kept staring. Seungcheol pointedly took a big bite of his food and instantly burned his tongue.

 

Woozi had once again proven that he was a frighteningly intelligent animal.

Seungcheol stood in the crowded subway on his way to work and contemplated whether cats had an extra sense to figure out weak spots of their owners. He grimaced at the painful memory of burning his tongue and how Woozi had rubbed himself against his leg as soon as he had squealed in pain. On one hand he was glad that the cat seemed to warm up to him, but on the other hand he had the nagging feeling that he had only done so to get some of his food (which - to Seungcheol's shame - he had gotten without much resistance. It was almost impossible to deny Woozi when he was acting cute).

 

When Seungcheol returned home, he slumped onto the sofa with a loud groan and tried not to think about the passive-aggressive pep talk his boss had given him earlier.

Being told that it hadn't been his fault (that he had failed) and that it wasn't much of a problem for the company (although they had lost a potential investor - because of him), that new chances would arise (his colleagues would be in charge of them) and that he had earned himself a break (regardless if he wanted or not) was nice, but it also left a somewhat bitter aftertaste in his mouth. Well, at least he had gotten Monday off which was a plus although he had no idea what to do during the prolonged weekend.

At the quiet sound of soft paws on wood, he opened his eyes and smiled at the sight of Woozi. "I hope your day was better than mine. You're really lucky that you don't have a shitty boss who orders you around." Seungcheol yawned and stretched lazily. "Are you hungry, kitty?"

Just when he was about to get up, the cat leaped onto the sofa next to his feet, making him freeze in place. With a quiet purr, Woozi curled up close to his thigh.

It took a moment before Seungcheol dared to breathe again but slowly he relaxed, the soothing warmth against his leg helping him to calm down. He fell asleep only a few minutes later.

 

When Seungcheol got woken up by the morning sun shining through the living room windows, his chest felt oddly tight and he had trouble breathing. Startled, he opened his eyes - only to find a small cat sitting on him.

They examined each other warily before Woozi leaned in and licked the tip of Seungcheol's nose. Then he jumped up and quickly scurried into the kitchen.

Seungcheol remained motionless on the couch for a long moment, heart hammering and a wide grin blossoming on his lips.

 

The cat had avoided him for the majority of the day and Seungcheol had no idea why. He had licked his face earlier, for Pete's sake, and now he was acting as if Seungcheol had some sort of highly contagious disease. Even Woozi's favourite toy (an already pretty chewed up rubber mouse) hadn't been able to change his mind.

Sulkily, Seungcheol was sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels of his TV, and contemplated whether he should call Jisoo to complain. Since it was already pretty late, he decided against it and instead got up to get ready for bed.

As soon as he was comfortably wrapped into his blanket, the mattress dipped slightly, indicating the arrival of a guest - but two could play that game and Seungcheol (like the responsible adult he was) turned his back to Woozi. The cat wasn't the least bit deterred by his behaviour and climbed on him, making him turn back in an instant. "Why are you always stepping on me today?! I'm not a god damn-"

The words got stuck in his throat. Whether it was because of surprise or because his mouth was filled with fur when Woozi rubbed his fuzzy forehead against his chin, he couldn't quite pinpoint. He reached out from under his blanket and this time Woozi allowed him to run his fingers over his silky back before he curled up next to him to sleep as well.

 

On Sunday, Seungcheol developed a sudden, intense craving for chocolate - only to find that there was no chocolate left in the flat. Well, he _could_ go outside and simply buy chocolate but it was wet and not nice, therfore he decided to stay in and wallow in self-pity instead. Unhappily he sat at his kitchen table and watched raindrops run down the window, imagining a sad piano melody as a fitting background music for his life.

The sudden thought that he still had some baking ingredients left in one of his cupboards made him lift his head (they were leftovers from Jisoo's birthday earlier this year when he had produced a truly horrendous cake). He jumped up, startling Woozi who was watching him from the safety of the door frame, and ripped open his cupboards until he found flour, sugar and cacao powder. With a triumphant sound, he tiptoed to reach the bags but couldn't quite grasp them right. Being the man he was, he decided to try again instead of doing the intelligent thing and getting something to climb on. The cat watched him with a weird mixture of curiosity and concern when he reached up again - and then the inevitable happened: the bags slipped through his fingers and fell.

While the flour landed on Seungcheol's head, dosing him in a pretty shade of snow white, the carton of cacao only hit his shoulder painfully and spilled its content everywhere when it hit the ground. Surprised, Seungcheol tumbled backwards, hitting a chair in the process, before he went down - the following cloud of flour and cacao powder settled in a decorative layer on almost all surfaces of the kitchen.

"Oooow, god damn it!" Slowly he sat up and rubbed his face, trying to get the flour out of his eyes. A quiet sneeze made him turn around and he gasped in horror at the sight of his formerly white cat. Woozi looked not amused.

 

It had taken much longer than he cared to admit for Seungcheol to catch his pet - and even after he had gotten him, Woozi put up quite a bit of a fight.

Both of them looked thoroughly dishevelled (and also slightly bloody in Seungcheol's case) when he carried the tired cat into the bathroom. Woozi mewled miserably and wiggled around in protest while Seungcheol checked the water temperature, but he was having none of it and after determining that the water was just right, he carefully dipped him in. At first Woozi bristled in discomfort (which looked more funny than intimidating with his wet fur and the cat gave Seungcheol the stink eye when he snorted) but after a moment he seemed to get used to it.

It took Seungcheol over an hour to get every little bit of cacao powder out of Woozi's fur and return it to its former white glory. While his back and knees almost killed him, the cat looked deeply relaxed afterwards.

 

His free Monday was spent cleaning the flat since yesterday's chase had carried flour and cacao powder everywhere. At the end of the day, he decided to never bake again. Ever.

 

Seungcheol was worried. Seriously worried even. Ever since Woozi had arrived nine days ago, he had only used his brand-new litter box twice and that couldn't be healthy for such a small animal, right?

To his relief, Jisoo shared his concerns when he called him and they had an intense discussion about the digestive system of cats.

"Maybe the fresh food is causing the constipation? But he won't eat anything else," Seungcheol lamented and examined Woozi, who was playing with a toy in the corner of the living room. At least he didn't seem to be in pain.

"It could be. Does he get aggressive when you try to pet his belly?"

"He only lets me pet his back and head so far. And not all that often either..." He pouted.

"I see. Then you should bring him in so I can feel his stomach and decide if we need to do something."

Seungcheol scratched his head at the words of his friend. "Do something? Like what?"

"Well, maybe we need to clear out his bowels a bit."

Seungcheol flinched when Woozi almost instantly hissed and dashed into the bedroom. Confused, he eyed the forgotten toy and wondered what it had done to the cat to earn such a reaction.

 

Woozi didn't leave the safe space under the bed for the following two days (at least not while Seungcheol was in the same room), but his bowel problems seemed to have gotten magically cured and Seungcheol happily told Jisoo all the details during their next game night.

 

Seungcheol was sure that he was slowly losing his mind. Stuff seemed to randomly move around in his flat and he had no recollection of placing it where ever it turned up. Also sometimes things vanished completely.

Not too long ago, he had bought a pretty expensive perfume (after reading in a magazine that women liked men who smelled nice) and had tried it out at home. Admittedly, he might have used a tiny little bit too much, but he still thought that Woozi's bristled fur and disgusted looks had been a bit of an overreaction.

A few days later when he had decided to wear it to work (maybe then he could finally gather enough courage to talk to Krystal, the pretty secretary), he hadn't been able to find it anywhere, regardless how much he had searched for it. In the end he had given up, deciding that he must have misplaced it somehow and that it would turn up eventually, just like all the other stuff.

It never did.

 

On day seventeen since Seungcheol had become a pet owner, he had a guest. Not the talkative kind of human guest one would expect but one of the furry sort.

His attention got called by loud hissing and growling in the living room and he hastily ran out of the kitchen to check what exactly was going on.

Woozi was standing in front of the glass door to the small patio, white fur completely puffed up and sharp teeth glimmering, and snarled at one of the neighbourhood cats. Seungcheol recognized Min, a friendly male cat that he had sometimes fed with his leftovers. The large, brown cat seemed rather unintimidated by its small, white counterpart.

"Shush, it's okay Woozi; that's just Minnie. He's really nice, maybe you can make a friend today?" Woozi sent him what could only be called a death glare and Seungcheol shook his head at him before he went back into the kitchen. He returned carrying a bowl filled with cat food and tried to open the door without leaving any opening for a physical fight. After several tries, he succeeded and Woozi's angry noises got muffled by glass.

Seungcheol set down the food and affectionately watched as Min began to devour it. Carefully he threaded his fingers through the longish fur, enjoying its softness. "There you go, little cutie." The angry hissing behind him stopped at once but he paid it no mind. "Aren't you a good boy? Eating so well. I really hope your owner is feeding you enough. You can have all of it; Woozi doesn't like it anyway."

When the cat had finished, it rolled onto its back, demanding more attention and Seungcheol was more than willing to deliver. While Woozi let him pet him occasionally, it was never for long, and he had missed being able to actually cuddle as much as he wanted.

Distractedly he turned to see if his cat was still present and flinched slightly when amber eyes bored into his. Woozi hissed one more time and then walked away, tail fluffier than usual.

 

After Min had left, Seungcheol found Woozi under his bed and no offering of toys or snacks could get him to come out. He gave up and went into the living room, only to jump up shortly after at the sound of breaking glass. Sprinting back into his bedroom, he found his bedside lamp on the floor.

The small cat was sitting on the window sill, dangerously close to a vase, and stared him down.

"Woozi! Be careful, don't touch-"

He stretched out his paw.

"No! Don't you _dare_!"

Woozi had already vanished under the bed when the vase shattered on the floor.

 

"He was probably upset. Cats are very territorial and you allowed a potential enemy near his flat. Also I guess he perceives you as his property now."

"Jisoo, I'm telling you he deliberately destroyed my vase, just to get back at me!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Cheol; he's just a cat."

 

To Seungcheol's immense confusion, Woozi suddenly started following him around everywhere. It began the morning after the vase incident, after a frosty dinner and an even frostier evening where they had completely ignored each other (yes, Seungcheol really was that mature).

He got woken up by the feeling of fur tickling his cheek and almost fell out of bed when Woozi stared down at him.

The cat then followed him to the bathroom (Seungcheol closed the door before he could slip in which was rewarded with frantic scratching) and into the kitchen. He patiently sat next to Seungcheol while he made breakfast for both of them, all while getting more and more creeped out.

"What do you want?!" he finally burst out when Woozi wrapped around his leg instead of eating his food. "Are you sick or something? Do I need to call Jisoo?"

The cat only sent him an offended look and kept rubbing against him. Seungcheol softened and reached down to pet his head - to his surprise, Woozi didn't pull back this time and even meowed in protest when he tried to focus back on his rice.

If that was how his cat tried to make up for breaking stuff, Seungcheol wouldn't mind it that much if he broke some more vases in the future.

 

While Seungcheol generally enjoyed the sudden attention his pet gave him, it also led to some awkward situations. One arose when he tried to take a bath.

He had the habit of getting undressed in his bedroom and walking into his bathroom naked. Usually that routine didn't pose much of a problem since he lived alone anyway and Woozi was busy doing whatever cats did to spend their time. Now, though, since Woozi followed him around like a fuzzy shadow, the situation was a bit different.

Seungcheol tried to ignore the presence of his pet at first, who was lounging on his bed, watching him with interest, but somehow it was harder than it should be. He blamed it on the fact that the last time he had undressed in front of a living being was during college - and men's shower rooms didn't really count anyway.

Hesitantly, he unbuttoned his shirt, back deliberately turned towards the small cat, and wondered why his fingers were shaking ever so slightly. The weird knot in his stomach got even tighter after he had taken it off, and - he probably just imagined it - it felt as if amber eyes were wandering over his exposed skin.

He turned his attention to his belt and slowly unbuckled it, the metallic sound ringing loudly in his ears, followed by the grating sound of the zipper. Goosebumps rose on his skin when his fingers ran over the fabric of his jeans and hooked into the belt loops - but he couldn't quite bring himself to get undressed completely.

He turned towards the bed where Woozi was sitting, one of his pointy ears twitching when their eyes met.

"Could you please stop staring?!" Seungcheol asked, exasperation lacing his voice and the cat jumped slightly at the sudden exclamation. As if he had understood what Seungcheol had just said, he left the bedroom in a visible hurry.

 

Today had been an exceptionally good day. Not only had Krystal agreed to join his birthday party (well, more of a friendly gathering Jeonghan had initiated, who had also promptly told Seungcheol every detail about it), but Seungcheol also had talked to a woman without making a fool out of himself.

It had happened shortly after work. Seungcheol had decided that it was a good time to go grocery shopping, since - for being such a small cat - Woozi ate quite a lot and he himself was someone who appreciated a good meal as well. He had been busy going through a mental list of people he wanted to invite to his party while he had carried his heavy bags towards the exit when he had noticed the dog. Not just any dog but a pure-bred husky and a puppy at that. His heart had almost burst into flames at the adorable sight.

Carefully he had crept closer, mumbling gibberish in a high pitched voice, drawing weird looks from the people around him. A lump of happiness had formed in his throat when the baby dog had licked his hand and the next fifteen minutes had been spent petting it while ignoring the slowly melting ice cream in his bag.

His little adventure had only ended when someone had cleared their throat next to him. Startled, he had met the amused gaze of a very pretty woman.

The owner of the puppy had introduced herself as Moonbyul and - to Seungcheol's utter disbelief - they had successfully held a conversation about their pets for several minutes.

"I'm sorry, I really have to go now. Puppy school starts soon," Moonbyul had said with a bright smile and Seungcheol had nodded solemnly. "But if you want I could give you my number?"

 

Seungcheol felt as if he was floating on the softest of clouds when he unlocked his door. Not even the heavy grocery bags could weigh him down. With a dreamy grin, he dumped them unceremoniously in the kitchen and danced around Woozi, who watched him with sceptical eyes. He proceeded to twirl into the bedroom where he flopped onto his bed and pulled out the little piece of paper Moonbyul had given him. He liked her neat handwriting and the small puppy she had drawn under her number.

The mattress dipped slightly when his cat joined him and Seungcheol wrapped him in his arms, his face buried in the soft fur. "Woozi, I'm such a lucky man."

 

"Oh god, where is it?! She'll think I'm not interested if I don't call her soon!" Seungcheol sounded almost hysteric while he turned his flat upside down.

He had made the horrible mistake of deciding to call after dinner (to not seem too desperate) and had placed the slip of paper securely on his night stand. Distracted by the thought of a potential girlfriend (or wife, he was getting older too), he hadn't noticed Woozi's absence in the kitchen. He only saw him again when the cat casually strolled out of the bathroom while he was already frantically searching for his number to happiness.

Woozi curled up on the window sill and watched him wreck havoc.

 

Seungcheol's birthday started like every other Saturday (apart from several messages congratulating him) and he tiredly trudged into the kitchen for some coffee after a long night of playing computer games. Freezing, he rubbed his arms and looked around for his slippers. He found them half-hidden under Woozi's furry bum, who was guarding them, looking smug.

"What are you doing, kitty, hm? Come on, I need them; it's cold." The cat willingly moved aside and observed his reaction when he slipped them on.

At first Seungcheol smiled at Woozi's interest but then his expression morphed into shock and disgust. "Oh god, what-?!"

Quickly he pulled off his right slipper and turned it upside down - and recoiled when a wet lump of hair and a (rather big) dead spider fell on the floor with a very unappetizing sound. For a long moment he simply stared in horror before his gaze wandered to his pet and his proudly puffed chest. "Woozi! What was that for?!"

Deflating at his anger, the cat lowered his head, sad eyes blinking up at him - but Seungcheol was too distracted to notice. He ran into the kitchen and got a dust pan to get rid the little surprise while Woozi followed him, meowing loudly.

Seungcheol took a very hot shower after he had thrown everything out and cleaned his slippers while the cat sulkily ignored his existence for the rest of the morning.

 

"Are you sure I should wear that? What if Krystal thinks I'm too overdressed?"

Seungcheol could almost hear Jisoo roll his eyes. "You sent me like 3000 selfies in the last thirty minutes and I still think you look great. Jeonghan says so too; don't worry so much."

"You have no idea how nervous I am, Soo. It's the first time a woman is coming over, you know."

"Seungcheol, she's not 'coming over', she is picking you up. She probably won't even go further than the doorstep. And yes, I'm pretty sure that by now I know how nervous you are."

Seungcheol sighed and petted Woozi, who laid stretched out on his lap (they had made up after Seungcheol had given up a rather big chunk of his steak as a peace offering). "Sorry, I'll try to be a bit less annoying tonight."

Jisoo laughed, the warm sound trickling through the line. "Hey, you endured me when I had my first date with Jeonghan; it's just fair that I endure the same now, right?"

Seungcheol joined in and Woozi licked his fingers.

 

Seungcheol felt slightly faint when the doorbell rang but he forced himself to man up.

"You're handsome and you're cool; you can do it Choi Seungcheol!"

He repeated his mantra one more time before he took a deep breath and opened the door. As always, he had to take a moment to gather his courage before he could speak.

"Hi Seungcheol, happy birthday! Your present is still in my car but you'll get it later, promise!"

"Hi Krystal, thanks. You uhm... you look nice? Uh, I mean great, you look really great! Very pretty, yes."

Krystal smiled at his compliment and had just opened her mouth to reply when she spotted Woozi. "Oh my god, is that your cat?! She's adorable, can I pet her?"

"It's a he..." His voice was almost inaudible but Krystal had hurried past him already anyway and he noticed that her perfume smelled really nice. Maybe he should have brought another bottle of perfume as well.

His dazed thoughts got disrupted by a hiss. Woozi had puffed himself up to his full (not very intimidating) height, bristling and snarling, and Krystal hastily took a step back. Seungcheol quickly jumped in between them. "I'm so sorry, he's a bit moody sometimes and he's wary of strangers. Come on, Woozi, go and play with your toys."

The cat sent him a glare and stalked off towards the bedroom (Seungcheol worried a bit about his new lamp) while Krystal laughed nervously.

"Uhm... should we go?" Silently they made their way to the door.

 

Much more people had come than Seungcheol had anticipated and while it made him happy, it also made him feel a bit awkward, since he was not particularly close with most of them. To get rid of the restrictive feeling, Jeonghan had recommended lots and lots of alcohol and had set himself the goal to hand Seungcheol a new drink whenever his glass was empty.

Seungcheol had never been particularly good at drinking so he had taken it slow - but after the first two hours, he could feel the effects all too clearly. Even talking to Krystal became a breeze.

 

The night air burned on his reddened cheeks and Jisoo worriedly held onto his arm to prevent him from stumbling. "Are you sure you don't want me to put you to bed?"

"'m notta baby, Soo, 'm fine." Seungcheol laughed loudly and Jisoo shushed him, glancing around.

"Okay, but drink some water and go straight to bed, alright? I'll write you tomorrow."

"Sssssure thing, Soo."

Jisoo couldn't help but grin at Seungcheol's finger-guns. "Sleep well, Cheollie." With a last worried glance, he left him in front of his door and Seungcheol immediately started fumbling for his keys.

He stopped when he noticed that the door was unlocked and it took a moment for his muddled brain to come to the realization that something was not right. He froze.

When nothing spectacular had happened after a minute or two, he reached for the handle and slowly pressed it down. With the courage of a drunk person, he sneaked into his flat, making unnecessary noise by bumping into the coat rack and leaving his shoes on. He decided that instead of taking them off, crawling would be a good alternative.

A sound in the kitchen made him tense up and, as fast as he drunkenly could, he slithered along the wall of the living room into his bedroom. After he had reached the door, he allowed himself to climb back to his feet and, when the room had stopped spinning, he hastily jumped into his closet, closing the door behind him with too much force.

Soft steps became audible and Seungcheol pressed his hands over his lips to stop himself from screaming. The light outside turned on.

For a moment he wondered if his cat was still alive or if the burglar had murdered sweet Woozi the same way he would murder him. At least they could be together in heaven, he tried to console himself when tears began to well up.

The footsteps had stopped and he could see a shadow through the cracks of the closet door.

An unmanly squeal escaped through his fingers when the door opened abruptly and the silhouette of a person became visible against the light of his bedroom. It took a moment for Seungcheol's eyes to adjust.

The first thing he noticed was the glaringly obvious lack of clothing and hastily he forced himself not to stare at anything below the belly button. The second thing were delicate fingers wrapped around one of his sharp kitchen knives. The sight made his stomach drop even further. And the third thing was a pair of very real looking cat ears poking out of shimmery white-blond locks.

Great. Who would have thought that one day he would get stabbed by a pervert in his own closet?

Seungcheol's blurry gaze wandered from white fuzzy ears to concerned amber eyes which worriedly examined him and then everything turned black.


	3. Oh My!

Seungcheol got woken up by a splitting headache. Groaning, he tried to lift his arm to shield his eyes from the offending light but it seemed to weigh at least 100 pounds and he only managed to make his fingers twitch weakly. As if that wasn't bad enough, his stomach almost immediately attempted to turn inside out and he had to fight the strong urge to vomit all over the bed. He groaned again, a bit muffled this time. The thought of opening his eyes brought him even more nausea. To never drink again sounded like a great plan but he knew that he'd probably forget all about it as soon as his hangover was gone.

He had just decided to stay in bed for the rest of the day when movement next to him and the feeling of soft fur on his arm reminded him that he had a cat to take care of. An impatient one, at that.

Scratchy wetness on his cheek made him groan for the third time before he forced himself to unclench his teeth. "Stop licking me, Woozi." Even to his own ears, his voice sounded rough and he inwardly apologized to his cat for his undoubtedly awful appearance. His cheek tingled once again after another tentative lick. With a quiet sigh, he finally opened his eyes.

The sigh got stuck in his throat as soon as he made eye contact with a cute, round-faced male.

They examined each other, amber only mere centimetres apart from chocolate brown, and a few long seconds passed before Seungcheol's scream rang through the flat.

At the sudden loud noise, the stranger scrambled backwards, quick to get as far away as possible, and in doing so revealed unsettling amounts of pale skin. He hid behind the foot of the bed, while Seungcheol pulled his blanket all the way up to his nose.

"Who are you?!" His panicked voice was slightly muffled by the thick fabric. When no reaction came, he lowered the blanket and carefully crept forward to peer over the edge.

The first thing he saw was a white tail. Not a cat-sized one but a rather long, rather thick, white, furry tail that peeked out from beneath his bed. Seungcheol rubbed his eyes and contemplated going back to sleep. Obviously he had drunk way more than he should have - or maybe someone had slipped him drugs. That seemed like a somewhat reasonable explanation. He probably should ask Jisoo about it, though.

Unsettled, he moved back towards the headrest and hid under his blanket. If he couldn't see his delusions, they would hopefully go away by themselves and a few more hours of sleep would probably do him good as well.

He curled into a little ball and closed his eyes, trying to focus on his breathing and ignoring the angry pinching of his stomach. After a few minutes, his efforts to relax paid off and he slowly drifted off - but then the bed dipped and cold air hit his back, harshly pulling him back into reality. Tensing up, he had to remind himself to keep breathing when a very warm and human-shaped body pressed against him. An arm snaked around his waist. He still tried to hold onto the comforting idea of it all being some sort of bad dream - but the feeling of hot fingers on his skin, when the hand slipped under his shirt, made him seriously question his believes. The hand wandered towards regions that were strictly prohibited when it came to the touch of complete strangers, and Seungcheol couldn't bear it anymore. The person behind him froze when he grabbed their wrist and turned around.

He was once again met with the same amber eyes (that, strangely enough, reminded him of his cat) and round face from earlier. The male's hair was longish, blond, almost white, and he had a massive case of bedhead.

He was also pretty cute. Not that it mattered.

"Who _are_ you?" Seungcheol repeated, more sternly this time. "Why are you in my flat?"

Examining his face for a moment, the male raised an eyebrow. "Idiot."

His voice was surprisingly melodic. Not that it mattered.

"Ex- excuse me?!" Seungcheol sputtered. He had a headache and his stomach was still twisting uncomfortably - the last thing he wanted right now was to get insulted by naked strangers in his bed.

The male in front of him only smiled at his reaction, his pink lips revealing unsettling sharp canines.

"Who are you?" Seungcheol repeated for the third time, quite desperate by now. Had he picked him up at the bar? But Jisoo wouldn't just let him leave with a random stranger while he was drunk, right?

The male rubbed his smooth chest with his free hand, a bored expression on his face, and Seungcheol tried not to stare. "Jihoon." That didn't ring a bell at all. "Let go." The small male was trying to free his thin wrist from Seungcheol's grip, but he was too distracted to react, still trying desperately to remember what had happened last night. "Let go!"

"Ow! What the- did you just _scratch_ me?!" Incredulous, Seungcheol stared at the red marks on the back of his hand before his eyes moved to the male in front of him.  
For some incomprehensible reason, the stranger - Jihoon apparently - was licking his wrist, his tail (Seungcheol tried his hardest not to think about how he had fastened it on his naked body) curled around him. Seungcheol stared at his small, pink tongue before he forced himself to ignore the weird behaviour for the sake of his crumbling sanity. He also chose to ignore that the tip of the obviously fake tail swished lightly at every lick. It was all a little bit too much for him.

They sat in silence for a moment, Seungcheol still cradling his hand and Jihoon licking his wrist.

What now? Seungcheol asked himself. There was a naked guy in his bed. A strange naked guy. And no clothes in sight. He couldn't just kick him out like that, could he? Maybe he should offer him breakfast. Wasn't that the polite thing to do?

He watched as Jihoon licked his hand and ran his spit covered fingers through his almost white hair. Seungcheol grimaced in disgust. No way he would let that weirdo stay here any longer than absolutely necessary.

"Hey," he started, still staring at Jihoon's fingers, "why don't you take your clothes and-" His voice died in his throat. There was something on Jihoon's head, almost hidden by his messy curls. Something white and fluffy. "Wait. Are- are those _ears_?!"

 

"That's it. I'm calling the police."

Jihoon had made himself comfortable on the sofa, his lower bits hidden by a blanket - on Seungcheol's insistence - while the owner of said blanket (and the sofa) was walking up and down in front of him, torn between crying and shouting.

"And why would you do that?" the smaller male asked, his face as indifferent as his tone. The main focus of his attention was directed at a loose thread that stuck out from the blanket.

Seungcheol stopped abruptly, glaring. "What do you mean 'why'?! There's a naked guy in my house, claiming to be my cat!" Ruffling his hair in irritation, he began to walk again, faster this time, more agitated. "You broke into my house, sexually harassed me and kidnapped Woozi!"

At his words, Jihoon rolled his eyes and looked up from the thread he had been playing with. His ear flicked in annoyance and Seungcheol quickly looked away. It crept him out.

"I told you: I _am_ Woozi!" the male growled, a rather deep and unsettling sound for coming from such an innocent looking boy.

They stared each other down until Seungcheol averted his eyes in defeat. "Oh yeah? Then prove it," he insisted shakily nevertheless.

Jihoon snarled. "Fine."

For the second time this morning, Seungcheol's scream rang through his flat.

 

Seungcheol peered into the living room in an attempt to find the catboy. After locking himself into his bedroom for the majority of the day, he was dying to get some food into his system - but the thought of facing Jihoon had stopped him like the coward he was.

When he couldn't spot the cat (or his human version), he dared to creep forward, out of his bedroom. Everything was silent in the flat. Silent enough for Seungcheol to hear his own heartbeat. It throbbed embarrassingly quickly.

Suddenly his stomach growled, making him jump. He froze for a few seconds - but nothing happened. Maybe Jihoon had left already?

Pressing a hand against his belly, he tiptoed through the living room, eyes fixated on the doorway to his kitchen. Only a few more steps until he could fight his hangover with a proper meal. Almost there.

With a relieved sigh, he stepped through the door and froze.

Woozi- no, Jihoon- no, it was Woozi, he was in his cat form after all, was sitting in the middle of the kitchen, his amber eyes drilling holes into Seungcheol. He felt himself grow pale at the sight. He couldn't deal with a paranormal cat right now. Not in this state.

"Shoo," he whispered. "Come on." The queasy feeling had returned. His stomach was rumbling. Seungcheol pressed a shaking hand against his mouth. "Woozi, please. I'm really not feeling well," he somehow managed to mumble through his fingers. The cat sent him a reproachful stare before he strode past him with a flick of his tail, out of the kitchen. Seungcheol staggered towards the sink and began to heave.

 

It had taken him several minutes to settle his stomach but water and a slice of white bread had helped - somewhat. He had just decided to make some scrambled eggs when his phone rang, Jisoo's name flashing on the display. Seungcheol took a deep breath. Should he tell his best friend about the insanity he had witnessed? But then again, who would believe a story as outrageous as this?

After a moment of hesitation, he picked up.

"Hey, how are you feeling? Is your stomach okay?" Jisoo sounded cheerful enough to piss him off.

"I feel like shit. You should've stopped me yesterday," he groaned and laughter answered him. He grimaced before his eyes fell on the doorway to the living room. "There's something I wanted to ask."

"Yes?"

"Did I, uhm, did I hang out with someone other than our group yesterday?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I, uh, remember meeting a guy. Kinda small, round face, blond hair. Into animal cosplay."

Silence rang through the line for a few seconds before Jisoo repeated, "Into animal cosplay? You mean like a furry?" His voice sounded as if he was trying very hard not to laugh and Seungcheol blushed at his tone.

"Never mind," he grumbled, embarrassed.

"Sorry." Jisoo coughed to hide his amusement before his voice returned back to normal. "You didn't meet anyone as far as I know; you were way too fixated on Krystal for that. Maybe you dreamt it." Seungcheol groaned once again and Jisoo giggled.

Hopefully he hadn't embarrassed himself too much in front of her. How could he possibly look her in the eyes tomorrow?

No. That wasn't the point. He forced himself to concentrate back on the issue at hand. So he hadn't picked up Jihoon at the club. Well, he hadn't believed it in the first place, to be honest, - not after the male had turned into his beloved cat in front of his eyes - but it had been worth a try. What was he supposed to do now? With a heavy sigh, he leaned against the kitchen counter.

His eyes fell on the corner of the room where he usually fed Woozi. At the sight of the empty bowls, he felt a tug somewhere deep in his chest. Even though the other was technically not 100% a cat, he still was his pet and Seungcheol was responsible for his well-being. And he had neglected feeding him because of his hangover. And because he was a coward.

He was a terrible pet owner.

 

Woozi was basking in the sun that was falling through the balcony door, cleaning his shimmering fur, when Seungcheol approached him carefully. He examined his cat for a moment. Woozi looked just like always. He didn't seem the least bit nervous - which was surprising, given that he had revealed his secret to his owner.

"Woozi. Or Jihoon. Or whatever your name is." Seungcheol awkwardly cleared his throat. The cat ignored him, still licking his paws. "Uhm. Can you understand me like this?" No reaction. Did he not understand? Or was he sulking?

"Er, anyway, I made food. Do you want some?" The licking stopped. Seungcheol tensed when Woozi looked up at him, his amber eyes glimmering in the light. They stared at each other for a tense moment. Then the cat nodded and got up to leave towards the kitchen. Seungcheol followed him on unstable legs.

 

The small male was sitting on one of the chairs, a grumpy frown on his face after Seungcheol had forced him to at least wear boxers ("Pants are uncomfortable when you have a tail, you know. My fur is all messed up now."). Seungcheol was watching him while they ate.

Apart from the obvious ears and tail, Jihoon didn't look much different compared to a regular human. His eyes were an unusual amber colour and his pupils where a bit more cat-like in shape while his teeth, especially the canines, seemed to be a bit sharper - but apart from that, Seungcheol couldn't make out any more differences. (Except for the fact that Jihoon seemed to hate wearing clothes).

"So, uhm. What are you planning to do now?" he dared to ask after a while.

Jihoon stopped chewing and Seungcheol felt a shudder run down his spine when amber eyes met his gaze. "Probably play with the gummy mouse for a bit and then take a nap," he replied nonchalantly, much to Seungcheol's chagrin.

"No, I meant like, uh. Later? You know?" He fidgeted, his fingers ripping his napkin into tiny little pieces.

The catboy had turned his attention back to the plate of chicken and picked up a drumstick, completely unaffected by the tense atmosphere. "I don't know. I don't really plan ahead that much. Maybe watch some TV with you? That chicken is really good."

Flushing at the compliment, Seungcheol tried not to feel too flattered.

He failed. Nobody had praised his cooking before.

His hands found his glass of water and he took a quick sip to calm his nerves. He wasn't sure whether Jihoon was evading his questions or whether the catboy was simply incredibly clueless - but it made it quite hard for him to stay on topic. He decided to go with a frontal attack. "Aren't you worried that I'll throw you out?"

Jihoon looked up once again, his lips smeared with sauce. "Of course you wouldn't throw me out. You love me," he stated matter-of-factly.

While Seungcheol choked on his water, he reached for another piece of chicken.


End file.
